1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing device and a setting method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer systems have been more and more desired to be hot-pluggable. Hot Plug is a function of a computer system to recognize a hardware unit that is connected to the computer system while the computer system is running and make the hardware unit incorporated in the computer system. The hardware unit may be PCIBOX, for example.
For a computer system to recognize a hardware unit, the OS of the computer system is required to recognize the configuration of the hardware. The ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) specification may be used for recognizing the configuration of the hardware unit. The ACPI specification defines management of power supplied from a computer system to a hardware unit. Under the ACPI specification, hardware configuration is recognized for the purpose of managing the supply of power to each hardware unit.
In the hardware unit recognition under the ACPI specification, BIOS first creates an ACPI table and an AML (ACPI Machine Language) based on configuration information in a configuration space of the hardware unit. The ACPI table and the AML are information for recognizing a hardware unit under the ACPI specification. The ACPI table shows information on hardware configuration. The AML is a program to cause a CPU to input and output information to and from the hardware unit. Hereinafter, the ACPI table and the AML will be collectively called the ACPI information.
When the CPU boots up the OS, the CPU loads the ACPI information into the OS to make the OS recognize the hardware unit.
Such a technique is described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-70952), for example.
In the hardware recognition under the ACPI specification, the computer system performs the processing shown below to realize Hot Plug.
First, when a hardware unit is connected to a running computer system, BIOS obtains the configuration information in the configuration space of the connected hardware unit and updates the ACPI information according to the configuration information. Then, the OS changes its hardware recognition according to the updated ACPI information.
However, the recognition under the ACPI specification has a problem in that a computer system cannot realize Hot Plug unless its OS supports Hot Plug. If an OS does not support Hot Plug, it cannot change its hardware recognition even after the ACPI information is updated.